Force MajeureThe set-up sounds intriguing – a happy family vacationing in an idyllic setting discovers they may not be as close as they thought they were after witnessing a controlled avalanche. Initially, they think the avalanche is real and death is imminent, so the mother lovingly holds onto her kids while the father runs for his life. The film deals with the aftermath of the father’s cold, instinctive decision.DIRECTOR: Ruben Ostlund | HEADLINERS: Clara Wettergren, Johannes Kuhnkehttp://trailers.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/forcemajeure/

Life of RileyIt’s not just on this list because it is the last film of the French auteur Alain Resnais, but also because it could be an interesting character study of an old ladies’ man and the effect his impending death has on his current and former ladies.DIRECTOR: Alain Resnais | HEADLINERS: Sabine Azéma, Hippolyte Girardot

Shailene Woodley and Christopher Meloni in "White Bird in a Blizzard"

The Heart MachineAn examination of the strange new world of online dating as experienced by a young couple in BerlinDIRECTOR: Zachary Wigon | HEADLINERS: John Gallagher Jr., Kate Lyn Sheil

White Bird in a BlizzardPart mystery and part coming-of-age tale, this movie features Shailene Woodley as an adventurous teenage girl whose unhappy mother, played by Eva Green, suddenly runs away from home (or was there foul play?). New York Times movie critic A.O. Scott gives this great description of the two women: “Mom … is a housewife trapped in a suburban nightmare, a Douglas Sirk heroine who somehow gave birth to the protagonist of a John Hughes movie.”DIRECTOR: Gregg Araki | HEADLINERS: Shailene Woodley, Christopher Meloni, Eva Green, Gabourey Sidibe, Angela Bassett, Thomas Janehttp://www.magpictures.com/whitebirdinablizzard/

Movies are not life, but they can teach you about life. They can capture the imagination, inspire the faint of heart, and broaden the minds of the mired. Join me, writer/editor Monica Elliott, in appreciating the powerful art form that is storytelling - that is cinema.